I know this is probably a common topic. For me, I’m not sure if it’s a “trope” or just totally misinformed writing, but it’s how many authors approach alcoholism. Some examples are Girl on the Train and The House Across the Lake, among HUNDREDS. If anyone else here has struggled with alcoholism, you know it’s not just "i woke up after downing an entire bottle of whiskey but was able to shower, down a cup of coffee, and solve a murder. "
I love books where there is a thousand-year-old mystery and our hero and his plucky sidekick solve it within 72 hours, never sleeping, never going to the bathroom, traveling all over the world, and solving puzzles that have stumped the greatest minds of all time. They make excellent airplane reading.
da vinci code is that you?
Dan Brown cheated by publishing every draft of that story with a different title.
Dan Brown characters get more done and cover more distance in an hour than most people do all week.